Retail therapy is the ultimate self-indulgence; but consumerist gratification disappears as quickly as the fads that prompt impulse buying and fuel obligatory gift giving. Come next holiday season, we have already forgotten who got us what the year prior, who tried to pass off the full price tag on a sale item, who re-gifted, who bought the Edible arrangement or who spent beyond their means. Travel-based experiences, on the other hand, impart distinct lasting memories, surfacing as gifts far more personalized and personal than mere objects. Undoubtedly, there is an incomparable positive feeling associated with escapism and ditching your known ordinary. Below are five unforgettable, reasonably priced, mini travel experiences for South Florida residents and visitors alike.

Tea with Versace $55

Following Versace’s death and Donatella’s unmanageable plastic surgery bills, South Florida mogul Barton G. purchased and transformed Ocean Drive’s most historic icon, the Versace Mansion, into a 10-room boutique hotel and intimate restaurant. Now known as The Villa by Barton G., Versace’s former sanctuary is more spectacular than ever, finally permitting the public to experience the mansion’s design splendor and sophistication. Thursday through Sunday the Villa serves full afternoon tea with exotic teas, sumptuous sandwiches and freshly baked sweets presented on Versace by Rosenthal Byzantine Dreams china, exclusive to The Villa. Advance reservations required. The Villa by Barton G. is located next to the Hotel Victor, Miami. 1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, (305) 576-8003, www.villabybartong.com.   

Love in Any Season $210

Though the holidays are more about family, food, and presents than romance and love, the Unity Massage at the Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne is the perfect gift for a bit of love, enhanced foreplay and wild nights this festive season! Through a 50-minute interactive session, couples learn massage techniques with expert spa therapists, mastering strokes on one another while discovering new pleasure points. During the session, each partner receives a 25-minute massage from the joint efforts of the therapist and their other half, with the sensual and moisturizing hot wax of a Baborganic Wellness Candle. At the end of the session, after a glass of champagne, couples receive another fancy, erotic candle to recreate the magic at home. Fun, hot, and kinky! Grand Bay Drive, Key Biscayne, (305) 365-4500, www.ritzcarlton.com/keybiscayne.

Broadway in Florida $25 and up

Florida’s cultural scene has exploded with fabulous productions at both the Broward Center for Performing Arts and the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. The Broadway revival takes South Florida by storm in 2011 as the Broward Center welcomes immortal classics such as Cats, Rock of Ages, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Wicked, Hair, and Mamma Mia while the Arsht Center hosts Beauty and the Beast, Jersey Boys, In the Heights, and Hair. These guaranteed crowd pleasers start at $25/ticket. The Arsht Center’s Four Show Package for $108 is the cultural gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. It’s also possible to treat a group of friends or family to the full theater experience at the Broward Center, in a private, catered VIP viewing box with the purchase of 8 tickets at $69/each. Broward Center: 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, (954) 462-0222, www.browardcenter.org; The Arsht Center is near the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, Downtown, Miami. Arsht Center: 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, (305) 949-6722, www.arshtcenter.org.